- Electric car builder Polestar has released its latest, a new flagship sedan with up to 884 horsepower
- The company hasn’t announced when it will come to the U.S., but high EU prices and hefty tariffs make us question if it will
Electric vehicle (EV) builder Polestar this week debuted its new flagship — a sleek, high-performance 4-door with no rear window (you read that right) and up to 884 horsepower.
Some industry analysts see the Polestar 5 as a make-or-break moment for the brand. It’s unquestionably impressive, and it stands out. But it may never reach the U.S. Even if it does, its price could make it a rare sight.
Polestar sent details to the American press as if the car will be offered for sale in the States, but launched it, for now, in other countries. The company noted only that “pricing and availability for North America will be announced at a later date.”
It starts at €119,900 in Europe, which equates to just over $140,000 in the U.S. Built in China, it could also be subject to massive tariffs.
Windowless Rear, Reclining Rear Seats
- The 5 is luxurious in both rows of seating, but the most talked about feature will be one that’s missing — the rear window
Polestar models have increasingly taken on a similar design language — the 5 is an obvious sibling to the Polestar 3 SUV and Polestar 4 … SUV … like … thing. But it’s the most upscale and stylish interpretation of the design, with a needle-thin nose, a sharp blend of curve and angle in profile, and a thin, trunk-spanning LED rear light treatment.
But the feature most people will discuss is the missing one: It lacks a rear window. Instead, it relies on cameras and screens to show the driver what’s behind.
That allows for more spacious rear seats, the company says. The cabin is Scandinavian sparse (Polestar began as an outgrowth of Volvo), but the rear seats are nearly the same as those in front. They even recline.
You can seat a fifth person in the center of the second row by folding the armrest up to reveal a sort of jump seat, but Polestar says the car is “designed primarily as a 4-seater.”
A huge panoramic glass roof should make the cabin feel spacious.
Nearly all controls run through a central touchscreen, Tesla-style. It runs an Android-based operating system developed specifically for Polestar.
Audio options include a 21-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system with a jaw-dropping 1,680-watt output.
From 748 to 884 HP, Two Choices of Suspension
- Two trim levels offer a choice of performance level — fast or extremely fast
Almost all electric cars are quick, thanks to the instant-torque nature of electric motors. But even the slowest Polestar super sedan will get from zero to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds.
That’s the figure for the Dual Motor trim, which offers 748 hp. A Performance trim offers 884 hp and gets there in just 3.1 seconds.
Both use an 800-volt architecture, allowing them to charge more quickly than the 400-volt Tesla models you may be familiar with. The company says the battery can fill from 10% to 80% in just 22 minutes at a 350-kW fast charger, though those chargers remain relatively rare.
Each model gets its own suspension. The Dual Motor uses “sophisticated BWI passive dampers with hydraulic rebound stops,” the company says. Performance models get BWI MagneRide active dampers that “read the road up to 1,000 times per second and can react within three milliseconds thanks to magnetorheological fluid, providing excellent body motion control while maintaining comfort and an optimal response at all speeds.”
The Polestar 5 will likely compete with other high-end electric 4-doors like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT — if it ever reaches American buyers.
